News, views, and items of interest on IBM's Db2 database management system and mainframes.

Monday, September 10, 2018

BMC and the Mainframe: An Ongoing Partnership

No, the mainframe is not dead… far from it. And BMC
Software continues to be there with innovative tools to help you
manage, optimize, and deploy your mainframe applications and systems.

BMC, Db2
for z/OS, and Next Generation Technology

One place that BMC continues to innovate is in the realm
of Db2 for z/OS utilities. Not just by extending what they have done in the
past, but by starting fresh and rethinking the current
requirements in terms of the modern IT landscape encompassing big
data and digital transformation requirements.

Think about it. If you were going to build high-speed,
online utilities for Db2 today, would you build them based on technology from
the 1980s? For those of us who have been around since the beginning it is
sometimes hard to believe that Db2 for z/OS was first released for GA back in
1983! That means that Db2 is 35 years old this year. And so are the old utility
programs for loading, backing up, reorganizing and recovering Db2 data. Sure,
they’ve been updated and improved over the years, but they are built on the
same core technology as they were “back in the day.”

BMC
High Speed Utilities with Next Generation Technology are
modern data management solutions for Db2 with a centralized, intelligent
architecture designed specifically to handle the complex problems facing IT
today. They were engineered from the ground up with an understanding of today’s
data management challenges, such as large amounts of data, structured and
unstructured data, and 24/7 requirements. Through intelligent policy-driven
automation, BMC’s NGT utilities for Db2 can help you to manage growing amounts
of data with ease while providing full application availability.

The NGT utilities require no sorting. Think about that. A
Reorg that does not have to sort the data can dramatically reduce CPU and disk
usage. And that makes it possible for larger database objects to be processed
with a fraction of the resources that would otherwise be required.

Furthermore, BMC is keeping up with the latest and
greatest features and functionality from IBM for z/OS and Db2. Using BMC’s
utilities for Db2 you can implement IBM’s Pervasive Encryption capabilities
with confidence because BMC’s database utilities for DB2 (and IMS) support
pervasive encryption.

With NGT utilities for Db2 you can automate
your environment like never before. Wouldn’t you like to free up
valuable DBA time from rote tasks like generating JCL and coding complex,
arcane utility scripts? That way your DBAs can focus on more timely, critical
tasks like supporting development, optimization, and assuring data integrity.

Customers report that NGT utilities have helped them to:

run Reorgs that otherwise would have failed
altogether or taken too much time,

reduce CPU and elapsed time,

eliminate downtime,

lower DASD consumption by eliminating external
SORT, and

simplify their Db2 utility processing.

By deploying BMC Db2 NGT utilities you can stay current
and utilize Db2 to the extremes often required by current business processes
and projects.

There’s
more…

Although there is always that lingering meme that the mainframe
is dying, it really isn’t even close to reality. Last quarter (July 2018), IBM’s
earning were fueled by mainframe sales more than anything else. So the mainframe is alive and well and
so is BMC!

BMC
understands that a
changing world demands innovation… the company is actively developing tools that serve the
thriving mainframe ecosystem, not just for Db2 for z/OS. Tools that build on
BMC’s long mainframe heritage, but are designed to address today’s IT needs.
For example, BMC’s MLC
cost reduction solutions focus on one of the mainframe world’s biggest current
requirements: making the mainframe more cost-effective.

BMC also offers a complete suite of management and optimization tools
for IMS, which still runs
some of the most important and performance-sensitive business workloads out
there! Their Mainview performance management solutions and Control-M scheduling
and automation solutions are stalwarts in the industry. Not even to mention
that BMC has partnered with CorreLog to strengthen
mainframe security capabilities.

Summary

BMC is active in the mainframe world, with new and
innovative solutions to help you get the most out of your zSystems. It makes
sense for organizations looking to optimize their mainframe usage to take a
look at what BMC can
offer.